Images of the Year 2012: Of the 10,000 images he snapped of Street Art this year, photographer Jaime Rojo has compiled 110 that represent some of the most compelling, interesting, perplexing, thrilling of 2012. Together the collection gives an idea of the range of mediums, techniques, styles, and sentiments appearing on the street today as the scene continues to evolve worldwide. Every seven days Brooklyn Street Art presents Images Of The Week, a weekly interview with the street. These are the best of 2012.

On Saturday, December 29, at 14.30

near the big tree on Skanderbeg Square,

the most entertaining social phenomenon of this year-end,

where anyone can participate.

In the name of living in our city in a more fun, social and aesthetic way, we want you to come out together with your friends to "freeze" and "melt" for 5 minutes to surprise and catch the attention of bystanders by creating a very special and fun atmosphere in those moments.

Also, we'll hang postcards dedicated to Albanian Railways on the big Skanderbeg Square Christmas tree, wishing a speedy recovery to the binaries and trains in order to facilitate the communication of Albanians with Europe, but most importantly among us.

Please take your iphone, ipad, cameras, and whatever you can to record this massive performance, which in those 5 minutes will become a living sculptures configuration.

Let's stop our time for 5 minutes on Saturday, December 29, 14:30h at Skanderbeg Square!!

GIFs are one of the oldest image formats used on the web. Throughout their history, they have served a huge variety of purposes, from functional to entertainment. In this episode of Off Book, we chart their history, explore the hotbed of GIF creativity on Tumblr, and talk to two teams of GIF artists who are evolving the form into powerful new visual experiences. (via PBS)

More than seven years in the making, BESA: The Promise is the untold story of the men and women of Albania – almost all of them Muslims – who faced down the Nazis armed only with their traditional honor code of besa and saved the lives of nearly two thousand Jews.

This tale of heroism was nearly lost forever in the communist decades that followed World War II.

It’s a story that’s brought to light through the contemporary prism of two men joined together in a remarkable and unexpected quest.

One is Norman H. Gershman, a renowned Jewish-American photographer who is determined to record the bravery and compassion of the Albanians. The other is Rexhep Hoxha, a shopkeeper from Tirana, Albania, who asks Norman to help him locate a Jewish family his Muslim parents sheltered during the war. This family, he tells Norman, entrusted his father with three Hebrew books, books that – under the ancient Albanian code of besa – must now be returned.

The journey that unfolds is extraordinary. With its thoroughly researched history and its profoundly emotional storytelling style, BESA: The Promise challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about the presumed enmity between Islam and judaism and eloquently reminds us of the power of good people to transform the way we view our world.

Shot in Albania, Bulgaria, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States, the documentary features in-depth interviews with survivors and rescuers, never-before- seen archival footage, an exquisite series of animations, and a powerful and moving original score by one of America’s foremost living composers, Mr. Philip Glass.

Elina Duni is an Albanian singer trained in jazz and composition. Born in Tirana (1981) in an artistic family.Educated at the Hochschule der Künste Bern in Switzerland.Forms the Elina Duni Quartet with Colin Vallon on piano, Patrice Moret on double bass and Norbert Pfammatter on drums. Her career takes off internationally.She returns to her roots, the traditional folk songs of her grandfather and homeland.After two albums:"Baresha" (2008) "Lume Lume" (2010)She debuts her latest "Matanë Malit" on September 2012.A musical homage to Albania. A combination of Balkan folk songs and jazz.

"The spread of formal jazz education has created a new breed of global musician: one who uses improvisation, and other devices associated with jazz, to transform folk and traditional music. The Albanian singerElina Duniis part of this rising class. Her latest release, Matane Malit ("Beyond the Mountain"), offers a transfixing balance of old and new."

"Elina Duni has been working with Albanian folk songs since 2004. She says she's moved by their poetry every time she sings. The lyrics tell of love, lust and honor, and in the grand tradition of folk songs, death. And you don't have to understand Albanian to appreciate what's happening here. Starting with somber and often heavy music, Elina Duni and her group wind up in a soaring, graceful realm that is unlike anything else."

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Author

Architectural Designer & Urban Researcher.
__Born in Tirana & living in Detroit Mich.
__I am currently involved in design research and public architectural projects that focus on improving urban conditions through cultural, spatial and ideological tactics.
__I hold a Masters degree in Architecture from University of Michigan & a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Lawrence Technological University
__I was a Fulbright Fellow to Albania in 2011-2012, researching "Reactivating Public Space in Tirana: Enabling New Continuities That Inform Urban Performance".
__Contact me here or at: diagstudio.com